


Rose in Gold

by Hinganbachuru (Twilight_Joltik)



Category: PBG HC Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, M/M, Princes & Princesses, royal au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 10:32:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16911300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twilight_Joltik/pseuds/Hinganbachuru
Summary: Dean supposes he might be the first person ever to sneak into a palace to return something of great value rather than steal it. But, Prince Ray would probably want his necklace back.





	Rose in Gold

**Author's Note:**

> I was writing this for something else before realizing it didn't work at all for that purpose so I'm just going ahead and publishing it as its own thing. Also heck the new season of Hardcore is so adorable, Ray and Dean have the cutest friendship ever and I love it.

The palace gardens were surprisingly scarcely guarded. Dean would have assumed for the place the prince was rumored to spend most of his time, it would have been a lot more protected. But, he couldn’t see a single guard anywhere along the vine-stricken walls that were just inviting him to clamber up. To make sure he wouldn’t drop it, he quickly threw the pendant over his neck, and began to climb up.

 

Once he reached the top, he lingered on the edge of the wall for a moment, legs swung over the edge. He’d always heard the palace gardens were gorgeous, but this was beyond anything he’d pictured! It was greener than anything he’d ever seen, with a gorgeous marble fountain in the center of it. Most remarkable of all, though, were the flowers- a billion blooming roses, huge and vibrant. He hadn’t even known roses grew in most of these colors! If he hadn’t known any better, he’d say they were all fake. Nothing real could be that lovely, could it?

 

He forced himself to climb down, holding his breath a bit. Honestly, it shouldn’t have surprised him that the garden was this beautiful, given who it was that maintained it. It was said the prince was reclusive- that ever since his older brother had taken the throne, he’d shied away from any political affairs or public presentations. Rumors spread around- that he disagreed with almost every policy the king had put in place, and that he often snuck out in disguise. Dean hadn’t ever bought any of that, figuring it was just the kind of stuff people passed around as a way to keep hope up.

 

Honestly, he still couldn’t quite believe the encounter he’d had last night. If it wasn’t for the pendant, it would seem like a strange dream he’d had. But, there, around his neck, was proof of what had happened. He’d seen a mugging taking place- sadly not an uncommon occurrence nowadays- and despite his mother’s warnings to never get involved and just run the other way, he’d once again found himself running to the aid of a stranger and chasing away a few thugs with his own blade.

 

The stranger, hiding his face under a cloak, thanked him quietly before running off. Dean wouldn’t have thought another thing of it had it not been for him noticing something on the ground a moment later. There was a golden pendant- a small rectangle with a bead of obsidian on the end- hanging off a leather cord that had been cut towards the front. Dean picked it up with a frown, tying the cord back together. It was very nice, to say the least. It was probably what the muggers had been trying to get from the guy, but they’d dropped it in the commotion. Even worse, their victim hadn’t gotten it back! It looked valuable, so surely it was something very important to him!

 

He knew he had to return the necklace somehow, so he asked around, seeing if anyone recognized it. He’d almost given up on it when a friend of his pointed out an engraving on the gold: a crest of a rose and vines. It was small, but it made a lump form in Dean’s throat. He’d certainly seen that symbol before- almost everyone had! It was part of the royal family’s crest, after all. Had the person he saved stolen it from them? No, certainly not. A thief wouldn’t hang onto such a thing for long, knowing it would be quickly identifiable. If that cloaked guy had been wearing it, that had to mean it belonged to him, right? That the prince really did sneak out, and he’d saved him from some common thugs.

 

If that was the case, Dean could hardly just go up to the palace and return it! Either he’d be accused of stealing it, or expose the prince’s outings. But he couldn’t keep it either! It was probably still precious to the prince, if he was willing to wear it even while in disguise, at risk of painting a target on himself. So, by process of elimination, the only ethical thing to do was sneak into the palace and leave it somewhere it could be found and just look like the prince had dropped it there! He could do that, surely.

 

And now in the garden itself, Dean took the pendant off and looked for a good place to lay it. Maybe on the edge of the fountain? Yeah, that looked like a good place! He sat it down gently and started to sneak away before hearing a sudden noise. Damn it, were there guards after all? He ducked behind a rosebush to hide.

 

Footsteps approached. His heart pounded. Through the greenery, he could see a figure clothed in red and purple and holding a pair of sheers. He relaxed a bit- that had to be the prince! Probably still wouldn’t appreciate him sneaking into his garden, but he couldn’t call for the guards without risking exposing himself, so he was safe!

 

The prince reached the fountain and looked down, letting out a noise of… annoyance? He looked around and threw the pendant right at where Dean was hiding. “Why would you come here?”, the prince questioned sharply. “That’s your payment, I didn’t want it back!”

 

“Payment?”, Dean echoed, rising from his hiding place carefully. “You dropped this! I thought it was like, important to you or something! I mean, you wore it while sn-”

 

He was cut off by the prince coming closer. “Keep your voice down!”, he whispered. “Do you really want us to both get caught?”

 

“No? But can you at least explain?”

 

With a shrug, the prince sat down on the edge of the fountain and gestured for Dean to join him. Once he’d sat down, he tried to relax a bit and actually look at the prince. He was really pretty, he noted, but had a slight scowl that seemed out of place on a face like his. “I- I was selling that necklace,” the prince began quietly. “My brother got it for me years ago, and I really didn’t want to keep it. When you saved me, I left it there figuring you could sell it. Why didn’t you?”

 

Dean felt a bit flustered, but tried to formulate an answer. “Uh, I, well, I was scared you’d miss it, milord!”

 

“Just call me Ray,” he insisted. “You don’t need to be all formal about it. Anyways, keep it, please. I don’t want it.”

 

“Alright then, Ray,” Dean said, finding the name odd on his tongue. He was on first name basis with a prince? That was actually kinda cool! “I’m Dean, by the way. If I can call you by your first name, then you should know mine.”

 

Ray smiled. “Dean, I like that. It suits-” He fell silent as a clanking noise filled the air. “Shit. Uh, Dean, just play along, okay? Don’t say anything to contradict what I say, no matter how it sounds.”

 

Chest tightening, Dean just nodded as a guard entered the garden. “Prince Ray,” one of them started, looking at Dean with confusion and placing a hand at her sword’s hilt. “Is this commoner your company, or an intruder.”

 

With a scoff, Ray stood up. “Brooke, don’t call my companion a commoner. Lord Dean is the son of the Lady of Fenaria, and a very dear friend of mine! Were you not informed of his visit?”

 

“N-no?”, she stuttered out. “Uh, my apologies. Want me to tell the servants to prepare tea for you and your guest?”

 

“Please do,” Ray requested. “Thank you very much.”

 

The guard left, and Dean let out a sigh of relief. “Whoa, that was close! Uh, so, just gonna say I had to go home early for important noble stuff?”

 

“No, you’re going to stay for tea,” Ray corrected. “You did save me, after all. Least I can do is repay you.”

 

“But you already gave me a necklace,” Dean objected. “That’s way more than enough!”

 

Ray looked away from him. “Well, I also would really like to get to know the idiot who snuck into the palace to return something to someone he’d met for all of thirty seconds. You… seem interesting.”

 

“Fair enough,” Dean conceded. “Tea it is, then!”

 

The prince looked back at him, smiling. A warmth filled Dean’s body, and he looked down at the pendant in his hand. It wasn’t much gold, and probably worth more for the intricate design than the metal. Besides, his family was doing pretty well financially. Wouldn’t hurt to just keep it, right?

 

He put it around his neck, and Ray looked down. “It suits you well,” he mumbled. “Um, well, tea is probably close to being ready. Can I lead you to the parlor?”

 

In a stroke of bold impulse, he took the prince’s hand. “Lead the way!”

**Author's Note:**

> if you're curious as to who the king is, i think the pendant gives it away.


End file.
